Flaming June

Flaming June, flaming awful more like. This is supposed to be the time of year when the sun is shining and the evenings go on for ever with the sun barely setting before rising again on a new day. Well here it is dull, dreich, grey and depressing. You poke your nose out the door for a few minutes and you can guarantee you will be drookit in no time. Instead of bright cheery summer clothes we are still wrapped up in wooly jumpers and desperately willing ourselves not to turn on the heating. We are crabbit and unhappy instead of smiling and welcoming. Us Scots are not a weak willed lot when it comes to the weather, we are used to summer being less than perfect, but this year seems to be worse than most so far. We had a bizzare spell of hot sunny days in March which I think got out hopes up, but since then it has seemed all downhill. Ach well still a few months to go before winter sets in once again, here's hoping.

Mind you these cool temperatures are helping the knitting along no end. Where as normally I would be using thinner lighter yarns by this time of the year I can still haul out the warmer projects to work on with these cool evenings.

Food on my Mind
Yesterday evening I was browsing through Ravelry when I stumbled upon a recipe for easy bread rolls. So what? you ask. Well it was one of ingredients which piqued my interest. The recipe sounded just too good to be true, just 4 simple things mixed together and in 15 minutes you would have rolls.
What are the ingredients I hear you ask, well, Self Raising Flour, Sugar, Milk and Mayonnaise. Yes mayonnaise. I was so intrigued I just had to try it. No yeast, no leaving the mix to rise, just mix together and bake.

Just check out the results!! And yes they tasted just as good as they look. So now this house will never be breadless as long as I make sure I have the tools to make these wee beauties.


Stay safe (and dry) and happy crafting.

Mary

Summer K.A.L
Well allegedly it is now summer. What better way to while away the long hours trapped in the house by the awful summer weather than joining in with a K.A.L. (knitalong). I have cast on this afternoon the latest fun secret design Summer Dreamz by Cheri McEwan AKA Dartfrog911. Since yesterday was my birthday I felt it appropriate to use yarn I bought with my birthday money last year, so I present to you my choice for this project,

The colour is surf and reminds me of the glorious clear waters seen off the beaches of the northern coasts of Scotland on a clear summers day. 

I promise I will keep you posted with my progress.

As you will have gathered by now, and I fully admit, I have ADD when it comes to knitting. I just seem to love starting new projects, (and am terribly bad at finishing them). This week has been no exception. As well as the above K.A.L. I have also begun a new summer top in a lovely orangey/yellow colour to brighten up this otherwise dismal season so far. I will take some progress pictures soon. Mind you after three attempts at getting the start right, one involving knitting the whole of the first lace section only to find it twisted (Arrrrgh), and another having to tink back almost the whole of one row of 210 stitches, it was nearly ceremoniously chucked out the window. (The way I was feeling the bin would have been too close). The perseverance has paid off though and the top is well on it's way now. Hopefully once it is finished the sun will come out and I will actually be able to wear it. 

Well all this chatting is not helping me get on with my knitting projects, and I have to find the TV remote as for some inexplicable reason my telly has just flicked over to dreaded football.

Stay safe and happy crafting

Mary

P.S. For anyone who wants to join us in the K.A.L. here is the linky Summer Dreamz K.A.L. you can join in for free until 17th June.

S.A.B.L.E.


Have I done it? Eeek I think the time has come to admit I may just have reached that point in a knitter's life that I have reached S.A.B.L.E. (stash acquired beyond life expectancy). 
What makes me think that? Well I was at Gardening Scotland on Sunday past and I spotted a bargain. I had no need to buy more yarn, none whatsoever, but that little devil on my shoulder started telling me this was an offer too great to pass up. So I parted with £12 of my hard earned cash and landed myself a project pack of yarn in various shades of red. Red!, not my colour by a long chalk, (pinks, blues, purples and teals for me please) but red it is. Fingering weight machine knit leftovers, all neatly caked and ready to knit with. How many yards you ask? Well I have taken a wild guess at about 3000. So much yarn in, and here was I this year trying to use up my stash. Oh well, no doubt it will be knit up in time, but as what I have absolutely no idea.

Tempting pack of reds!!

Otherwise since I last was here, (being back at work seriously eats into time for other pursuits) I have managed to complete two, yes two, projects.

The first of these being my glorious Blooming Fuchsia shawl. This was a knit along which kind of got behind, but at last it is done and I am so pleased and proud of the result. Check it out for yourself

Blooming Fuchsia.

I also created a collage of this project which shows the story of said shawl many thanks go to my lovely friend Gill for modelling for me.

Also finally off the needles is my first Pay it Forward 2012 project. This has also been gifted to it's intended who was delighted.

Completed Wingspan

The pattern is so easy to knit, that I am close to finishing my second.

So I will leave you now and get back to my needles in the hope that I will have something new to share soon.

Stay safe and happy crafting.

Mary